


a little help

by gotham_ruaidh



Series: Gotham Writes for Imagine Claire & Jamie [13]
Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 19:19:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5060842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gotham_ruaidh/pseuds/gotham_ruaidh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imagine if Claire stayed to help Jamie out of the millpond and warm him up in episode 12</p>
            </blockquote>





	a little help

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt sent in to [Imagine Claire & Jamie](http://imagineclaireandjamie.tumblr.com/post/131752973754/imagine-if-claire-stayed-to-help-jamie-out-of-the) on tumblr. I'm posting my Imagine prompts here on AO3 for easier reading and in case there's anyone here who might not be on tumblr. Do feel free to check out the blog and send in prompts if you have more ideas for our favorite pair!

Jamie dug numb fingers into the loose earth of the embankment, willing his frozen muscles to cooperate. Once over the edge he lay there like a grounded fish, shivering, gasping for breath, skin glistening with moisture and prickling with cold. 

“Here.” 

Claire’s shadow crossed his face, shielding him from the sun as she held out his plaid like a blanket. 

Slowly, carefully he rose to his knees. Quickly Claire wound the plaid several times around his shoulders, immobilizing his arms, covering his head with the tail end. 

“Sassenach – ” 

“…such a bloody effing hero? Your lips are turning blue and that scar on your side is still healing and God knows what’s in that water…” Her voice was muffled as she scrubbed his hair dry. 

“Claire – ” 

She peeled the fabric off of his head and glared down at him. Even kneeling, his eyes were level with the shawl covering her bonny collarbones. 

“Do you know how much you scared me, Jamie? I thought I’d lost you.” She gripped his shoulders and shook him slightly, eyes burning into his. “You can’t do that. Not to Jenny, not to Ian. And certainly not to me.” 

“I wasna going to get captured, Claire.” He strained against the fabric pinning his arms to his sides – wanting to hold her - but to no avail. “I wouldna do that to ye. I wouldna leave ye alone. Ye must know that.” 

She sighed, and lifted one hand from his shoulder to cup his cheek. “I know that,” she said softly, shaking her head.

He turned his face to kiss her palm, holding her eyes. A long moment passed. 

“I didn’t realize you could hold your breath for so long,” she said after a while, tucking dried strands of hair back behind his ears. 

He shrugged. “Ah weel. Ian and I used to swim a lot here, when we were lads. I didna realize that it would be such a useful talent once I was grown.” 

Claire knelt before him, brows lifted skeptically. “Useful for hiding from redcoats?” 

Jamie’s mouth widened in a wolfish grin. “Useful for waking ye up some mornings, _mo nighean donn_. Ye wouldna let me take a breath yesterday – or have ye already forgotten?” 

Her grin matched his own. She watched as he eased the plaid from his shoulders and smoothed the fabric on the grass beside them. 

“Did ye no’ tell me once that the best way to warm someone is through skin-on-skin contact?” 

Claire unwound the shawl from her neck. “So I did. Want to make sure?”


End file.
